Concrete-mixer



A. E. SCHUTTE.

CONCREIE MIXER.

APPLlcATlou man nav. 11. 1919.

Patented Feb. 8,1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET L .pm/wu WMM/bw A. E. SCHUTTE.

CONCRETE MIXER.

Amm/mou, man NO v. u. 1919.

1,367,719. hmmm 1101.89121.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

@noe/mhz A. E. SCHUTTE.

CONCRETE MIXER.

APPLICATION man Nov. n. 1919.

1,367,71 9. Patented Feb. 8, 1921.

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aww/Mio@ PATENT OFFICE.

UNITED, STATES AUGUST E. SCHUTTE, OF NORTHBOBO, LIASSACHUSETTS CONCRETE-MIXER.

Specitloation of Letters Patent.

Continuation ot application Serial lo.- 781,287, led July 2B, 1913. This application led November 17, 1919. Serial No. 838,729.

To all 'whom z't may cof/wem."

Be it known that I, AUGUe'r E. ScHU'rrn, citizen of the United States, .residing at Northboro, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Concrete-Mixers, of4 which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My4 invention relates to apparatus for mixing concrete or like heavy material which is difiicult of manipulation.

The present application is a continuation of my original pending application for concrete mixer, led July 26, 1913, Serial number 781,287, for the subject-matter shown therein which is present in the original pending application.

An im ortant object of the invention is to provi e means for utilizing the rapid descent of the heavy material, by gravity, in comparison with the slower movements of the buckets or the like, in eiiecting an intimate mixture of the material, such buckets being employed to elevate the heavy material.

In the ordinary type of concrete mixer, a rotary horizontal cylinder or mixing trou h provided with blades is used. Into this tie material to be mixed is conveyed by a lift or hopper and falls from above directly into the mixer. The material is elevated either by a suitable conveyer or by wheelbarrows.

All these machines deliver the mixed material. at a low oint, and are cumbersome and quite comp icated and require a great deal of power to operate.

A further purpose of my invention is to simplify such machines by doing away with the lhorizontal cylinder or mixing trough and instead providing a substantially vertical conveyer which 1s inclosed in a casing preferably adapted to serve as a support to the upper shaft of the conveyer, and at the same time as a iiue for carr ing ed the products of combustion, either rom a furnace or oil burner connected with the bottom of the casing, so that all the hot gases are brought into direct contact with the material when lifted by the conveyer and also with the aggregate when dropped by the conveyer as itpasses over thetopfshait thereof. `In fallnumber of conveyer-iiues may be mounted on the same base, usin the same source of heat to heat and dry t e material, the heat .being cut oil' from one flue and diverted through the adjacent ilue while the mixing process is going on in the first flue.

My invention will be understood by reference to the drawings in which it is shown in its preferred form, two mixers being shown side by side and utilizing the same furnace.

Figure 1 is a vertical section through-a unit of the apparatus, the conveyer being in elevation,

Fig. 2 is a vertical section at a right an le to Fig. 1, the conveyers being shown in e evation, and,

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

A is a casing divided by the partition A1 into two chambers and havin near its upper end take-up bearings b for t e shaft B and at its lower end bearings c for the shaft C.

The bottom of the casing is iioored to form retainers A2 for the material to be treated. Its upper end, as shown, is contracted and terminates in stacks A3.

I prefer to use hoppers D by which to introduce the material into the retainers A2, though it may be otherwise introduced if thought best. In the form of my invention shown there are mounted on the shaft B wheels B1, B1, preferably splrockets, two for each conveyer, and on t e shaft C are mounted four corresponding wheels G1, C1, also lpreferably sprockets, and over these whee s ass the elevators or conveyers, each of whicA preferably comprises two sprocket chains E, E, between which are mounted buckets El.. These buckets E1 are preferhns the drying and v of the partition A1.

connected therewith by a link ably scoop-shaped and they are of such size and the shaft C is so located that they will scoop up material from the container and carry it up and over the shaft B and empty it so that it will fall back into the retainer. The power is applied to the conveyers by a sprocket C2 on the shaft C over which runs a chain c connected to a suitable engine. By adjusting the take-up bearings L the slack of the sprocket chains E may be properl controlled.

`o supply heat for drying the materia-l l have shown a fire-box F connected by a forked lpipe f with the lower end ot' the casing one pipe f entering on each side These pipes are each provided with a damper f1 so that the products of combustion may be discharged into each chamber of the casing, as preferred. As shown, the lire -box is provided with grate-bars F1, but instead it may' be fitted with oil burning appliances of the kind well known, my invention relating to the conveying of the products of combustion or their heating equivalent, into the casing.

The casing is provided near its upper end with discharge openings, one for each chamber, of suitable size, which openings are ordinarily closed by a closure H in the torni of a door, which is hinged at h. The door H may be moved by a Swingin(r lever H1, ir. when the door H is closed, it is vertical and forms in eii'ect a continuation of the vertical easing, but when the door is open, as shown in Fig. 1, it may be inclined and places an inclined trough lzin communication with said cp`ening and the upper portion of the casing. Particular attention is called to the i'act that the endless bucket elevators, upon their descending sides, are spaced from the casing A, providing a passage for the rapid descent of the concrete or the like, spilled at the top of the endless bucket elevators, upon such descending sides. This is important as the structure permits of the descending concrete or the like to travel downwardly faster than the buckets, such material passing the buckets freely.

During the operation of the apparatus, while the concrete or like heavy material is being mixed, the door H is retained closed. The conveyer being set in motion and the heated gas or air entering the casing or flue at the bottom, the material to be dried and mixed, is fed into the hopper and is picked up by the buckets connected with the chains operating through the heating flue. The buckets discharge at the top, and the material drops down through the flue on the descending side of the conveyer,v thus falling through the hot gases, to be again picked u at the bottom, elevated to the top. and discharged in a practically continuous stream, gainingin temperature on each elevation and lfall. The stacks A3 permit of the escape oi the steam or moisture thrown off by the drying of the aggregates. After the material is sufficiently dried and heated, an amount of bituminous material (if the mixture is to be of a bituminous nature) is poured into the hopper, when the process of mixing proceeds in exactly the same manner as the drying which preceded it. The bitumen-coated material is elevated in hot elevator buckets, spilled at the top, picked up at the bottom and again spilled, the process continuing until an intimate mixture is produced, which is discharged through the chute 2i. when desired. The hopper is reloaded with wet material which/ is dried and mixed as before.

When the mixer is used for mixing Poriland cement concrete, the heating system is disconnectedexcept in very cold weather,

when it is necessary to dry or heat the stone, and the mixing proceeds in exactly the same manner as in the bituminous compound, with the exception that the water is poured into the hopper instead of the bituminous compound.

The apparatus is designed for mixing cencrete either composed of Portland cement, stone and sand, or bituminous concrete composed of sand and bitumen, or sand, stone and bitumen,-or any mineral aggregate and bitumen. This concrete, cementitious or bituminous, is a heavy material and difficult of manipulation. By virtue of the treatment of this heavy material, an intimate mixture is elfected,l in a peculiar manner. The heavy material is spilled at the top of the conveyer, and drops by gravity to the bottom or the casing into the container. The buckets travel slower than the falling heavy material, so that this material reaches the mass within the container, before its bucket approaches the same. The material thus dropped is again picked up by a bucket, bcneath the discharging bucket., and such material thereby mixed with another and new portion of the total mass, and again distributed and mixed, not only by the forming ol the material through the casing, but by the passage of the buckets through the mass, carrying with them the fallen material. In other words the material is dropped from the upper bucket to the bottom, where it is again picked up by the buckets, giving rise to a thorough mixing of the 'concrete1 due to the fact that in its downward descent under the iniuence of gravity itv travels faster than the buckets themselves, whereby the contents of the several buckets are interthe buckets will be discharged through the chutes h', when desired, at the end of the mixing recess.

The dIeita-ils of construction of my device may of course be changed without departi f from the spirit of my invention.

y device may be a stationary plant of as many units as desired or may be mounted on wheels so that it may be moved from place to place as desired. Itis especially adapted to the latter use because it is compact and by virtue of the reduction in the number of arts is of less weight than movable plants eretofore constructed. Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. Apparatus for mixing concrete or like heavy material diiicult of manipulation, comprising a substantially vertical casing having a discharge opening near its topna traveling bucket elevator arranged wlthin the casing and extending longitudinally thereof and having its descending side spaced from the casing for elevating the heavy material and spilling the same near the upper end of the elevator upon the descendlng side of the elevator between the elevator and casing, said heavy material passing downwardly by ravity faster than the buckets, and means or controlling the discharge of the mixed heavy material through the said opening.

2. Apparatus for mixing concrete or like heavy material diiiicult of manipulation, comprising a substantially vertical casing provided at its lower portion with meansvfor receiving and holding the heavy material, said casing being provided near its upper end with a discharge opening, means for controlling the passage of material through the discharge opening, a traveling bucket elevator arranged within the casing and extending longitudinally thereof and having its descending side spaced from the casing to permit of the free downward passage of Ythe heavy material between the elevator and casing, said elevator picking up the heavy material and elevating the same and spilling such material near the upper end of the elevator upon the descending side of the elevator between the elevator and casing, said heavy material passing downwardly by gravity faster than the buckets, and means to drive the elevator.

3. Apparatus for mixing concrete or like heavy material diiiicult of manipulation, comprising a substantially vertical casing adapted 'for receiving and holding the heavy material, said casing having discharge means near its upper end, a traveling bucket elevator extending longitudinally within the casing and having its descending side spaced from the casing to permit of the passage of the heavy material between the elevator and casing, said elevator being .adapted to engage the heavy material within' the lower end thereof and elevate the same and spill such material near the upper end of the elevator upon the descending side of the elevator between the elevator and casin said heavy material passin downward yby gravity faster than the uckets, and means to drive the elevator.

4. Apparatus for mixing concrete or like heavy material difiicult of manipulation, comprising a substantial] vertical casing adapted for receiving and liolding the heavy material in the lower portion thereof, a traveling bucket elevator extending longitudinally Within the casing and having its descendin side spaced from the casing to permit of t 1e passage of the heavy material between the elevator and casin said elevator being adapted to engage the eavy material within the lower end of the casing and elevate the same and spill such material near the upper end of the elevator and means to drive the elevator upon the descending side of the elevator between the elevator and casing, said heavy material passing downwardly by gravity faster than the buckets.

5. Apparatus for mixing concrete or like heavy material diiiicult of manipulation, comprising a substantially vertical casing adapted for receiving and holding the heavy material in the lower portion thereof, a traveling bucket elevatorv extending longitudinally within the casing and having its descending side spaced from the casing to permit ot the passage of the heavy material between the elevator and casing, said elevator being adapted to engage the material within the lower end of the casing, and elevate the same and spill such material near the upper end ot the elevator, means to drive the elcvator upon the descending side of the elevator between the elevator and casing, said heavy material passing downwardly by gravity faster than the buckets, and means for supplying a heating medium in proximity to the heavy material being treated.

6. Apparatus for mixing concrete or like heavy materialdifficult of mani ulation, comprising a substantiall vertica casing adapted for receiving and olding the heavy material in the lower portion thereof,atravcling bucket elevator extending longitudinally within the casing and having its descending side spaced from the casing `to permit of the passage of the heavy material between the elevator and casing, said elevator being adapted to engage the material within the lower portion of the easing and elevate the same and spill such material near the upper end oi the elevator, means to drive the elevator upon the descending side of the elevator between the elevator and casing, said heavy 'material passing downwardly by gravity faster than the buckets, and means for supplying a heating medium into the casing. y

7. 'pparatus for mixing Iconcrete or like ing heated gases and supplying the same to ,i

heavy material diicult of manipulation, comprising a casing divided into a plurality of substantially vcrtlcal compartments having means at their lower ends for receiving and'holding the heavy materia-l, traveling bucket elevators extending longitudinally within the compartments and having their descending sides spaced from the casing to permit of the passage of the heavy material between the elevators and casing, said elevators being adapted to engage the material within the lower ends of the compartments and elevate the name and spill such material near the upper end of the clevators upon the descending sides of the elevators between the elevators and casing, said heavy material passing downwardly by gravity faster than the buckets, means to drive the elevators, and means for'producthe compartments.

8. Apparatus for mixing concrete or like heavy material difficult of manipulation, comprising a substantially vertical endless bucket elevator, means arranged near the lower end of the elevator to hold the material iu the path of travel of the buckets and to catch the material spilled from the buckets near the top of the elevator'` upon the descending side of the elevator, said heav material passin downwardly by gravity aster than the buc iets, and means to drive the elevator.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

AUGUST E. SCHUTTE.

Witnesses:

Crims'rm H. FESLER, B. P. FISHBURNE. 

